Figure 1.--The photo shows a young soldiers with an non-commissioned officer of the British West African Frontier Force in parade uniforms during 1910. The specific colony is not identified. At the time bare feet were compulsory for many colonial troops.

Almost all of the imprtant colonial powers were Allied powers (Belgium, Britain, France, and Portugal). The Allied colonial forces played an important role in the War. Several important forces were raised. This was especially true of the British and French. The British Empire forces are a little complicated. The Dominions were more like associated countries. Australia and New Zealand formed the famed ANZUS force. The Canasdians were another important part of the British Army on the Western Front. Britain attempted fofight the war with with a volunter army and thus the Dominion forces were very important. Only after the disaster on the Somme did the British introduce conscription (1916). There were also colonial forces, called Frontier Forces. There were several different forces here. In between the status of the Dominions nd the African colobies was India and the very important Indian Army. The Indians during the War played an especially important role in the Middle East. The Dominion forces and the Indian Army were particularly important. The Frontier forces were less important, but played a valuable role as security forces in the colonies. The African units were called Haudaus and initially formed to protect the frontiers from the French. They were at first called the West African Field Force. At the time of World War I they were renamed the West African Field Force. The primary French colonial force was the Tirailleurs. The Sengalese Tirailleurs were the best known. They were first formed in Senegal and thus became known as the Sengalese Tirailleurs. This became used as a generic term for all French sub-Saharan African units. There weee other Tirailleur forces. North African formations were important. There were also formations in Indo-China. The Tirailleurs, unlike the British Frontier forces like the West Afrian Field Force, would play an important role in the French sector of the Western Front during World War I, often referred to as the Force Noir.

Belgian

Germany launched World War I by invading neutral Belgium as aay of evading the French frontier forts. The small Belgian rmy was no match for the massive Germny Army, but did slow them down much more thn the Germns hd anticipated. The situation in Africa was different. The Belgin Congo borderd on the German colonies of Burundi and Rawanda, but in Africa, the Germans were outnumbered by the Allied colonial powers. The Germans would have been able to hild off the Belgins, but British forces were avilable from Kenya and Uganda and French forces were available from West Africa.

British

The British Empire forces are a little complicated. The Dominions were more like associated countries. Australia and New Zealand formed the famed ANZUS force. The Canasdians were another important part of the British Army on the Western Front. Britain attempted fofight the war with with a volunter army and thus the Dominion forces were very important. Only after the disaster on the Somme did the British introduce conscription (1916). There were also colonial forces, called Frontier Forces. There were several different forces here. In between the status of the Dominions and the African colobies was India and the very important Indian Army. The Indians during the War played an especially important role in the Middle East. The Dominion forces and the Indian Army were particularly important. The Frontier forces were less important, but played a valuable role as security forces in the colonies. The African units were called Haudaus and initially formed to protect the frontiers from the French. They were at first called the West African Field Force. At the time of World War I they were renamed the West African Field Force.

French

The primary French colonial force was the Tirailleurs. The Sengalese Tirailleurs were the best known. They were first formed in Senegal and thus became known as the Sengalese Tirailleurs. This became used as a generic term for all French sub-Saharan African units. There were other Tirailleur forces. North African formations were important. There were also formations in Indo-China. The Tirailleurs, unlike the British Frontier forces like the West Afrian Field Force, would play an important role in the French sector of the Western Front during World War I, often referred to as the Force Noir.

Italian

When Europe went to war (1914), Italy was allied wih the Central Powers, but decided much to the displeasure of the Germans and austrians to remain neutral. It eventually decided to join the allies and decalred war on Germany and Austria-Hungary (1915). At the time, because an Italian army was defeated by the Ethiopians at Adwa (1896), Italy had only two small sub-Saharan African colonies (Somaliland and Eritrea). Italy also tried to subgegate Libya which it seized from the Ottoman Empire (1912), but was encountering Arab resistance. The most important colonial soldiers recruited by the Italians were the Eritrean Ascari. Eritreans were enrolled as askaris in the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops (Regio Corpo di Truppe Coloniali) during 1889-1941. The Askaris played an important role in the conquest of the various Italian colonial possessions. They then served as garrison and internal security forces in the Italian Empire. They did not play a major role in World war I, but were used in the Italian conquest of British Somaliland (1940) and subsequent East African campaign of (1940-41). On historin writes, "Except for the German parachute division in Italy and the Japanese in Burma no enemy with whom the British and Indian troops were matched put up a finer fight than those Savoia battalions at Keren (Eritrea). Moreover, the Colonial troops, until they cracked at the very end, fought with valour and resolution, and their staunchness was a testimony to the excellence of the Italian administration and military training in Eritrea." [Mackenzie, p.61.]

Portuguese

Portugal has aong history of association with Britain. Before the War, Germany disasisfied with its colonial empire, aspired to acquire the substantial Portugues colonies, especially Angola and ast Africa (Mozambuque). Portugal attempted to remain neutral when war broke out, but tensions increased as esult of border incidents between German and Portuguese African colonies. U-boats also attacked Portuguese shipping involved with commerce with Britain. As a result, Germany declared war on Portugal (March 1916). Portuguese troops served on both the Westrern Front and in the campaigns against the Germans in southern Africa. Brazil was Portugal's primary colony and the African areas primarily of interest to supply slaves to Brazilian sugar plantations. As the Scrable for Africa developed in the late-19th century, Portugal needed troops to ecure its hold on its colonial claims. The recruitment of colonial troops was at forst arbitrary without any systematic orgnization. Only at the turn of the century did this begin to change, first in Southeast Africa (1901). There was resistance to military service, bur regulations gradually became stricter. The men became describes sarcastically as 'volunteers of the rope'. Some of these units were alld Landim units. The Portuguese practics was to deploy these units away from the ares where they were recruited. Porugal gradually improved for the recruits and resistance declined. A 1914 regulation mandated the creation of a military reserve, which permitted the engagement of 25,000, nearly 45 percent of the Portuguese security force in the struggle against the German invasion of Northern East Africa (Mozambique) during Wirld War I. [Cann, p. 132.] Portugal at the time was still neutral. The final act of the War was when German forces under Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck capture Namacurra in Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) and seize important arms and supplies for his force after similar smaller successes against Portuguese outposts had already helped reprovision his force (July 1918).

Sources

Cann, John P. Contra-insurreição em África, 1961-1974: O modo português de fazer a guerra (Estoril: Edições Atena, 1998).

Mackenzie, Compton. Eastern Epic.

Created: 9:35 AM 6/11/2017
Last updated: 9:36 AM 6/11/2017